How Can Employees in India Challenge Unfair Leave Policies? Seeking Advice and Rights

Hello everyone,

I work in a private company in Mumbai, India. My company has now changed its leave policies, which are unreasonable for the employees of the organization.

Previous Leave Policy

Earlier, we could take casual leave once a month for any urgency or unforeseeable circumstances that needed to be dealt with on an urgent basis.

New Leave Policy

Now, my company wants us to provide a leave request three months in advance for it to get approval, which is what privilege leaves are for, but they won't accept any requests for leave in emergencies. The management is saying that if we decide to take leave in an emergency, it will be marked as "Unplanned leave," which will disqualify us from monthly incentive benefits and impact our evaluation at the end of the year. Three "Unplanned leaves" would result in direct termination from the company. The management is adamant about these new policies.

Employee Rights

We want to know what our rights are in this situation.

Hi, While planned leaves are always appreciated, unplanned leave due to sickness or the death of relatives is inevitable and cannot be planned in advance. Applying for leave three months in advance may not always be possible. You have not shared the total leave entitlement or whether it is as per the Act. You can discuss this with your HR, and if the management is adamant about it, you may represent your concern to the local Labour Officer in your office jurisdiction.